These flights included Class B airspace, the region near airports that stretches up to about 10,000 feet above sea level. Per the FAA announcement:

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SkyPan operated the 43 flights in the New York Class B airspace without receiving an air traffic control clearance to access it, the FAA alleges. Additionally, the agency alleges the aircraft was not equipped with a two-way radio, transponder, and altitude-reporting equipment.

The FAA in 2015 is the Recording Industry Association of America in the early ‘00s: They see heads that need to roll, publicly, and the best way to do that is with obscenely expensive fines or lawsuits. The difference being that Napster’s MP3s couldn’t recklessly endanger anyone — but, according to the FAA, SkyPan’s drones can.

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